Copped Hall stands on the northern edge of Epping Forest in an idyllic setting amid grand ruins and landscaped gardens with a background of rolling, wooded hills - yet central London is only 16 miles away. Six years of excavation have revealed the extensive foundations of a Tudor courtyard house where Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) lived before she came to the throne in 1553. For the next 200 years the house belonged to a succession of leading figures in public life, but in 1750 it was demolished and the site was never subsequently built upon. Excavation has shown that there is good survival of brickwork. The challenge now is to establish the phases of building and recover a full history. Pottery of earlier times - medieval, Saxon, Roman and Iron Age - has been recovered, so this may turn out to be a multi-period site. Two five-day field schools will be held in 2014 (August 9th to 13th and 18th to 22nd), designed for people who already know the basics of digging and recording and want to extend their experience to a new site. Your work will be supervised but there will be no formal instruction The cost per week is £90 (£180 for both weeks). For absolute beginners, who want to try their hands at excavation, we are offering Taster Weekends in 2014 on July 12th/13th, 19th/20th and 26th/27th. Here there will be a mix of formal instruction about stratigraphy, investigation techniques and finds, with practical experience in digging a live site, most time being devoted to the latter. The cost per weekend will be £50. The facilities on site are good, with flushing toilets, hot and cold running water, and refreshment breaks. You will need to bring a packed lunch.

Period(s) of Occupation:
Medieval, Tudor, Stuart

Notes:

Opportunities for absolute beginners, and more experienced diggers, to take part in a live archaeological investigation.

Project size:

1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers:
One 2-day taster weekend or one 5-day field school

Minimum age:

17

Experience required:

See project description above

Room and Board Arrangements

Own arrangement. Copped Hall is just off the M25 London ring road and is easily reached by car or bicycle from north and east London and nearby parts of Essex and Hertfordshire. The nearest station on the London Underground is Epping, where cabs are easily obtained. We can send access information. List of hotel/B&B/camping accommodation available on request (costs vary).